Within the
lifetime of this blog (i.e. nearly two decades) there has been no material
partial eclipse of the sun in Warsaw. The last one I remember from childhood
was on 11 August 1999 around midday and with its timing close to noon, was far
more memorable than the one observed last Wednesday, when sun's face was
eclipsed in 82%, yet mere 4 minutes before sunset.
I am lucky
(or have chosen and can afford to) reside in the vicinity of
Górka Kazurka,
one of two spots in
Ursynów which are best for staring at sunsets. I
walked from home around 7:30 p.m. and quickly found green areas around
ul.
Ziemska were chock full of parked cars, an area which I had never see
occupied by vehicles. A pity
Straż Miejska did not show up to collect
well-deserved fines from those who encroaching on green areas.
20 minutes
before the climax of the phenomenon, western slope of
Kazurka hill is
sieged by droves of people. As sun will be going down soon, those sitting
further down from the peak, will lose sight of it. Hopefully none is having
problems with their sight now. Based on what I saw, many observers lacked
protective spectacles.
The
north-western slope seemed a more favourable location and fewer observers
sitting there were in the shadow some 20 minutes ahead of the culmination of
the show. Due to lack of protective glasses, I did not join the crowd.
On a snap
taken exactly at 8:03 p.m. one spots people descending the hill, as the sun was
no longer visible from there. Besides, it was a little darker than the day
before and the day after at that hour.
On my way
home I came across traffic chaos, when the bastards who had illegally left
their vehicles there were trying hard to get out of the area, proving deficient
driving skills, especially behind wheels of oversized vehicles.
Back home,
while scrolling the phone, I saw tens of photos documenting the eclipse, as
seen in Warsaw. While being worried about my eyes, which are one of the most
vulnerable organs, I do not regret not watching the eclipse myself and
definitely preferred to document the crowd and their reactions to the rare
event.
